Audio Additives vs Acoustic Sounds Digital Scale

It is important to realise that the magnetic attraction is cancelled out when the stylus rests on the weighing platform. Zero before bringing the cartridge near the scale and then ignore the negative deflection as you lower it. I went through a lot of thought about this problem, and did all the stupid things like re-zeroing, with the stylus just above the platform.
The answer is the Ortofon DS-3 the weighing platform is almost exactly at the thickness of a record, and it is not magnetic. Seems like it is only available in Japan. This is important on some arms, my Kuzma 4 point gives very different weights depending on the height of the measuring platform, up to .2 of a gram. The centre of gravity must be way above the level of the record, on this arm.

Dinster, can you help me understand why taring or zeroing isn't necessary?

I get two distinct different readings when zeroing and nor zeroing. One would think if it didn't matter then whether you zeroed or not you would get the same reading when the stylus touched the platform.

Could you explain your reasoning? I'm just trying to learn, etc and sort my thoughts through this.

Rockitman
Thanks for the info. Just ordered the DS -3
Pradeep

Before lowering the cart. to the scale, the cart./tonearm is supported by the tonearm rest. The magnet in the cart. pulls up on the pan of the scale giving the negative reading. This force is being countered by the tonearm rest. Once the tonearm is released that is no longer the case. All the weight of the cart./tonearm is now resting on the scale. So, zeroing the scale while it reads negative in this case will cause the final reading to be too high. The cart. will still be attracted to the scale; which will cause the cart. to sit somewhat lower on the scale. The effect of this on the measured weight should be small.

Whether this magnetic attraction needs to be tared out depends on which part of the scale the cartridge is attracted to:
- if the attraction is to the weighing surface, which sits above the load cell, then it should not be tared out;
- if the attraction is to something beneath the load cell, then it should be tared out;
- if the attraction is to both the weighing surface and something beneath the load cell, then the attraction due to something below the load cell should be tared out and the attraction due to the weighing surface should not be. Good luck with that.

We've had this discussion before, recently. John tracy and Dinster acknowledged these facts then. I don't know why they're reverted to a "one answer fits all" position but either answer is an over-simplification.

***
That said, all the above is much ado about nothing. Just use a scale that has no magnetic attraction. Whether it affects the indicated VTF or not, that attraction stresses the cantilever and suspension. It's an easily avoided risk that no one need take.

Personally, I've been using Yogiboy's approach for 12+ years... a gunpowder scale with a DIY weighing step made of non-magnetic material. Works perfectly and safely, measures to the nearest .001g, less costly than any audio branded scale.